11/09/2025
The term adaptogen was coined in 1947 by a Russian
toxicologist and pharmacologist named Dr. Nikolai Vasilyevich Lazarev.
As the father of modern-day research into adaptogen herbs, Dr. Lazarev
set up some basic criteria that must be met in order for consideration
in this very special class of herbs:
1. It must cause only minimal disruption in the body’s physiological functions. Never being toxic at even high doses:
2. It must increase the body’s resistance to adverse influences not by a
specific action but by a wide range of physical, chemical, and biochemical factors;
3. It must have an overall normalizing effect, improving all kinds of conditions and aggravating none. And it must restore balance to the system regardless of the direction of the
illness (for example, an adaptogen would work equally well in a depleted condition as it would in a condition of excess). We are talking homeostasis here.
Herbalists believe adaptogens work by supporting adrenal function, enabling cells
access to more energy and helping them eliminate toxic metabolic
byproducts. Adaptogens also help the body use oxygen more efficiently
and improve the regulation of the body’s natural rhythms. Though they
all work in these similar ways, each adaptogen has a distinct
personality and unique medicinal qualities.
We will visit what I consider three rather remarkable yet generally lesser known of
adaptogen herbs. [back in the day when I penned this book there were maybe 25 known adaptogens, now there are upwards of 75 and growing] They are, in no particular order: Rhodiola rosea, Eleuthero (Eleutherococcus senticosus) and Jiaogulan (Gynostermma
pentaphyllum).
Intro and definition of an Adaptogen from "Wonder Herbs" book
